**the memories are in italics
**the song lyrics are in italics and bold

One of the upsides to patrols for Lily and James was it gave them practically uninterrupted alone time, which was hard to find in their busy days.

So, as they walked down the drafty corridors hand in hand, they reminisced about times gone by.

"What about the first time we pranked you?" James asked with a small grin.

"I could never forget," she said in response, almost tripping over her shoe.

October 11, 1971
first-year

Left to their own devices because Remus had gone to the hospital wing for a headache, Sirius and James roamed the corridors looking for something to fuck up.

The two of them decided to visit the herbology greenhouse to talk to Professor Sprout, who had greatly favored them over other students. No one knows why, it just happened.

Entering the greenhouse with the cheekiest smiles on their faces, which slipped past Pomona, was a natural reaction of the idea of causing mischief.

White petals with a bright green stem and yellow center, the Easter lilies caught the two boys attention.

"Professor Sprout?" Sirius asked with the most innocent eyes he could muster.

"Yes?" She walked away from the tea leaves she had been trimming towards the two boys.

"What are those?" James asked pointing at the lilies.

"Easter lilies. I had them imported because they're not in season and they're my favorite flower," she responded looking admiringly at the flowers.

She had had five entire bouquets imported, which was quite expensive, but it was worth the money. The lilies seemed to brighten the room just like the sun in the sky and their smell had already infested the room.

"Can we have a bouquet for our dorm?" James asked trying to suppress his smile.

Pomona Sprout hesitated for a moment since the boys were growing a reputation of their love of causing mischeif, but she chose to overlook that for once. Giving them the benefit of a doubt, she handed them a bouquet of flowers and watched as they skipped up to the school doors.

"Those boys..." She said shaking her head.

Sirius and James rushed up into the Great Hall with the lilies and everybody in the entire castle was there since it was a Saturday during lunchtime.

Lily was a little too nosy for her own good in her younger years. So, when they sat down giggling, she had to know why.

"What's so funny?" She asked like she had the power of an authoritarian figure.

James and Sirius shared a look.

"Well, see for yourself," James said handing her the bouquet of lilies.

"I don't see why-"

Stop! In the name of love
Before you break my heart

The popular song Stop in the Name of Love by Diana Ross and the Supremes started blaring out of the lilies, except it was James and Sirius's voices screeching a duet.

Baby, baby
I'm aware of the time you go
Each time you leave my door

"Turn it off! Turn it off!" Lily said throwing the bouquet back at the two boys, so she could cover her ears.

I watch you walk down the street
Knowing your other love you'll meet

"I can't! I don't know how!" James replied frantically pointing his wand at the bouquet begging it do to something.

But this time before you run to her
Leaving me alone and hurt

The bouquet went zooming across the room as Minnie had aciooed it to her in order to shut it off.

(Think it over) After I've been good to you?
(Think it over) After I've been good to you?

The screeches stopped and instead the silence erupted with laughter from the entire Great Hall.

"25 points from Gryffindor."

~end flashback~

"You didn't talk to me for about a week after that!" James laughed.

"Well, I was so embarrassed! Even though I didn't do anything!"

"That was nothing like the time we had the same Hallowe'en costume in second-year," James pulled Lily a bit closer to him.

"Didn't we both go as John Lennon?" Lily asked remembering very clearly that Marlene had taken weeks to convince her to be the John to her Paul.

"Yeah, and then we proceeded to argue about who's costume was 'more authentic,'" James said the last two words with air quotes.

"I still think mine was better because I rocked those circular glasses," she said cheekily.

"Rectangular are definitely more my shape."

They turned left down a corridor whose candle wicks had all but been dwindled to the end, so they took out their wands and simultaneously said "lumos!"

"Remember when you were late to our library date," James asked checking another broom cupboard.

"I told you then and I'll tell you now, that was not a date. We were simply partnering for a potions project, by force!"

April 3, 1974
third-year

Slughorn had gifted all the kids with a hefty research partner project, that they would work on in and outside of class.

Marlene was to work with Mary, while Alice was with Peter. Sirius and Remus were paired up and that left James and Lily paired.

Lily was quite mad about the entire situation because A) she didn't like James and B) she had already been planning to work with Severus, who had been paired with Mulciber.

Knowing James's reputation for not caring too much about his schoolwork, she had made it very clear to him that she wasn't going to do the project by herself. Yet, what Lily didn't know was that James actually took his studies very seriously, he just didn't let anyone know about that.

So, James got to the library five minutes early and on the contrary Lily was five minutes late.

Her shoulder length hair was thrown up into a messy bun and she was in a lazy pair of black leggings and a red jumper. James smirked at her as she sat down.

"Don't look at me like that," she mumbled pulling out her potions textbook.

"Like what?" James asked with an eyebrow arched.

"I know I was late, which makes me a hypocrite, so I'm so-" Lily cut off when he started laughing.

"Jeez Evans, no need to apologize! I get it, sometimes people are late. It's fine, but out of curiosity, what made the ever punctual Lily Evans late?" He asked doodling on the corner of his parchment.

"Marlene is going a date with some older Gryffindor-"

"You don't even know his name?" James laughed.

"Well, it's not a he. Marlene asked me not to disclose the name because the girl isn't really out yet," Lily explained quietly.

"Oh. Well, congrats to McKinnon."

~end flashback~

"So, that was definitely an interesting conversation," James said running his hand through his hair.

"It was," Lily replied quietly. "Part of the reason I'm so cautious about patrols is because of that one time I nearly got cursed."

"I remember that. The bloke was very close to getting knocked out by moi, but Remus intervened."

"Didn't you guys prank him instead?" Lily laughed.

"That was one of our best pranks actually. Took several days to plan," he said remembering the type of rage he had felt.

"How did you get all the ghosts and Peeves to drop various balloons filled with glue on his head?"

"Marauders' secret."

December 10, 1974
fourth-year

James had left the library with Remus, carrying many books on animagi. They had yet to find a book on what your animagi would turn into when they actually achieved the feat.

The thing they were focusing on now was getting back to the common room without running into the patrolling prefect. So, in order to do that, they had to look at the newly finished Marauders Map.

"This is the most bloody brilliant thing we've ever done," James said as he watched the corridors.

"I agree, but you have to actually look at the map for it to work. Lily Evans is walking in our direction!" Remus replied and pulled James against the wall albeit hastily.

They watched as the prefect walked slowly down the corridor humming quietly to herself and swinging her wand around aimlessly.

"Is she supposed to be out here?" James whispered.

"Not really," just as he spoke a dark figure rounded the corridor corner and stuck his wand out in front of him.

"He's going to hex, Lily," Remus's eyes widened.

"Not on my watch."

Before Remus could even warn James, the boy had jumped out from their hiding place and tackled the Slytherin. The Slytherin's hex flew into a nearby suit of armor, which fell over at contact.

"What the hell?" Lily yelled as she came back around the corner to see James on top of the Slytherin a few punches in, with Remus grabbing him backward.

Remus, panting, finally got James off the Slytherin and gave the latter a pointed look that said leave now or you'll regret it.

"Explain," Lily said impatiently.

Remus looked at James, who groaned as the opposing bloke had gotten a few punches in and James's head had started to pound with a headache.

"The bloke was going to hex you, so I tackled him in order to block the hex," James said hoping Lily wouldn't think he was trying to play the hero.

Lily raised an eyebrow because this boy sitting on the floor had just tackled someone in order to save her and was apparently the same boy she had called a few choice words hours earlier.

"What are you doing walking alone?" Remus asked filling in the silence that had absorbed the air.

"Alice is sad, like really sad and Marlene accidentally shaved her eyebrows off and Mary... Oh, poor Mary, this bloke stood her up. So, I was trying-"

"To get some peace and quiet, but we didn't see you in the library?" James finished her sentence without even trying.

"I went to the room of requirement, there was no chance of being found," she replied quietly as James stood up.

"I thought that was just a legend. That's the unplottable room I was telling you and Sirius about." Remus said having a sudden epiphany.

"Oh! Evans! Is it hypothetically possible to know what your animagus is before you achieve becoming an animagi?" James asked trying not to seem suspicious.

"Hypothetically, you could see what your patronus is and-"

"Thank Merlin for you!" James practically screeched, kissed her cheek in thanks, and ran off back in the direction of the library.

"Why am I friends with him?"

~end flashback~

"I stood there for a solid five minutes with my hand on my cheek," Lily said, her cheeks flushing.

"Y'know the first time you healed me after a full moon fifth-year?" James asked messing his hair up.

"You were in so much pain."

"That and I don't think I've ever been that damn flustered in my life. Ok, I take that back."

"And why's that?" She asked trying to remember a time when she made him particularly flustered.

"Pete's birthday. Last year. Your shirt was undone and I just froze."

September 9, 1976
sixth-year

James paused outside the Kitchens door at the sound of laughter. Could the Hufflepuffs be holding a Friday night snack sesh? Did Dumbeldore fancy a midnight snack?

He turned to look at the other three boys accompanying him, who he could actually see because their disillusionment charms had been taken off. Sirius just shrugged and Remus beckoned him forth in a fashion that clearly showed he was hungry.

With their approval, James tickled the pear pictured on the portrait and swung open the door. The scene was far more shocking than anything they would have ever managed to cook up.

Sirius's mouth was open slightly to form the perfect "o," Remus looked as if he was about to piss himself from laughing a rather insane amount, Peter's eyes were bulging out of his head, and James just stood there to drink in the scene.

Mary sat on the floor of the Kitchens with a bottle of wine in hand and a laugh that could make Snape wheeze, while Alice was asking the house-elves for something. Lily and Marlene opted to sing and dance atop the Gryffindor table as nothing else mattered.

But oh how it feels so real
Lying here with no one near

Their appearances were the most surprising thing of all. Each one of them had their Gryffindor tie done a different way. Lily had her's tied around her head, Marlene's was a belt, Mary's was tied in a bow around her neck and Alice's was being used as a hairband.

James raised his eyebrows as he realized that Marlene and Lily's school uniform blouses had been unbuttoned so you could see their bras. He immediately looked at his feet with a slight blush.

Only you and you can hear me
When I say softly, slowly

Sirius was still soaking in the scene in front of them with the look of utmost amusement on his face whilst Remus was on the floor dying from silent laughter. Pete was blinking rapidly as if trying to make sure if it was real or not. James figured why not speak up.

Hold me closer-

"You girls fans of Elton John?" At the sound of James's voice, Marlene and Lily abruptly stopped singing which sent Mary into another round of hysterics.

Alice turned around as she accepted a bottle of whiskey from one of the elves just as Marlene whispered something to Lily which made her look down and blush furiously as she began to button her shirt back up. Shame, James liked it better unbuttoned.

Surprisingly Mary stood up off the floor and joined the other three, who stood in front of the three boys. It was not one of the girls, but Sirius who chose to speak next.

"I didn't know Evans knew how to break rules."

Lily, who was looking at the ground earlier looked up and glared at him.

"Lily may look like a nerd to you, which she is undeniably one, but that's beside the point. The point is she knows how to party too. More so than me most nights. I told you guys earlier that Alice and I were the only tame ones in our group."

Lily sent an exasperated look towards Mary, yet she just shrugged.

"What are you guys doing down here anyway?" Remus arched an eyebrow at them.

"Y'know we could ask you the same thing, but if you must know we are having our annual girls night."

"Well, we're celebrating Pete's seventeenth."

James really did not want to get into an argument about who had rights to the Kitchens at midnight on what wasn't Pete's birthday anymore and the "girls night" should be considered a girls morning, but James decided that conversation was for another day.

"Why don't you join us in our celebration of the great Peter Pettigrew?"

~end flashback~

"I forgot that small detail," she said, her face flushing once again.

"You know something I could never forget about?"

"What?"

"Petunia's wedding."

August 5, 1977
summer before seventh-year

Lily had to admit, her sister looked dazzlingly beautiful with a huge grin on her face and a twinkle in her eyes. She couldn't picture anyone else becoming that happy after marrying the whale except her sister.

Wise men say
Only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you

The slow song was enough for anyone, even Sirius, to forget about causing mischief and focus on the enthralling beat. James looked at Lily who had been enchanted by Elvis's angelic voice and grinned a grin of his own.

Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you?

This time it was Lily that looked over at James. She saw him with his eyes closed just letting the tune sink in. Couples had started to join in the dance, so she pulled his hand onto the floor, consequently pulling him from the spell the song had placed on him.

Like a river flows
Surely to the sea

She placed her arms around his neck, just as he did her waist, and they began to sway to the beat.

Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be

"You're a better dancer than I thought you'd be," Lily remarked.

Take my hand
Take my whole life too

"Mum made me take lessons," at the weird look she gave him he added," pure blood thing."

For I can't help falling in love with you

~end flashback~

"Except for the fact that I had to see almost Vermin's entire family, the wedding was not that terrible," Lily remarked about her sister's wedding.

Patrolling came to an end as they entered the heads' common room.

The feelings between them had not had a chance to dissipate and instead they grew, bloomed, and intertwined like vines would in nature. Tangled together in a perfect mix of heart strings and expressed love.

"G'night, Lily-flower," James said looking into her eyes with a small smile.

Looking into his hazel eyes for her was like coming home. Her childhood home had been sold without her approval and in that moment so had her childhood memories, but she had finally found a nonjudgmental zone she could visit whenever she wanted. And that was wherever James was.

"Night," she said pressing a firm kiss to his lips that would have to suffice until morning.

...
Author's Note:

First thing's first! The songs I used in this chapter are:

Stop in the name of love
By: Diana Ross & The Supremes

Tiny Dancer
By: Elton John

Can't Help Falling In Love With You
By: Elvis Presley

I really wasn't expecting this chapter to be around three thousand words, yet here we are.

Fun fact: the scene from sixth year was actually edited out of All the Stars! Let's just pretend it happened.

Quite surprised it was so quick to write because school has been stressful lately, but it's cool. At least I was able to update!

Lmao anyways thanks for reading
-teddy🍓